New Jets tight end Jace Amaro was the 49th player chose in the NFL draft, but he thinks he can show this year that he’s better than everyone chosen before him. And after him.

“The goal is to win the Rookie of the Year[award] and be the best offensive player you can be, and if you don’t have that mindset, then you’re not really in this for the right reasons,” Amaro said, via Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.

“Those two guys are ones that I sat with my position coach [in college] and watched hours and hours of tape on in 2013,” Amaro said. “That really helped me develop my game, to really understand how they release [off the line of scrimmage] and use their size.”

If Amaro can be anything close to the kind of player that Graham and Gronkowski are, the Jets will be very happy. And a lot of teams will be wishing they hadn’t passed on him in the draft.

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets rookie Jace Amaro, one of the most prolific pass-catching tight ends in college history, has set high expectations for himself in the NFL. He hopes to be the next Tony Gonzalez.

"He's kind of old school, but he did some great things," the Jets' second-round pick said Friday after his first rookie-camp practice. "I'd definitely like to (model) his game. ... That's someone who I'd ultimately love to be. He's supposedly the greatest tight end to ever play. That's somewhere where I want to be, too."

Gonzalez wrapped up a Hall of Fame-caliber career last season with 1,325 receptions, the most by a tight end. Amaro acknowledged he has a lot to learn about the pro game, but he spoke confidently about his long-range potential. He'd like to catch 100 passes in a season, something Gonzalez did only once.

"Eventually, I'd like to do that on a consistent basis, be a tight end that catches 100 balls a year," said Amaro, who signed a four-year, $4.3 million contract before his first practice. "That might be five years from now, it might be 10. That's kind of a goal for me."

Amaro did it last season at Texas Tech, racking up 106 receptions for 1,352 yards -- an FBS yardage record for tight ends. The numbers might be inflated because he played in an up-tempo offense that averaged 55 pass attempts per game, but the Jets believe he has the talent to upgrade their 31st-ranked passing attack.

Amaro caught several passes in the opening practice, prompting Ryan to say afterward, "Looks like Marty (Mornhinweg) thinks he has a new toy and we're trying to feature him."

The Jets' offensive coordinator has a few new toys, namely wide receiver Eric Decker, running back Chris Johnson and quarterback Michael Vick, who will push Geno Smith for the starting job.

For Amaro, the key is re-learning football fundamentals. Because he was often flexed out in the Texas Tech offense, he lined up in a three-point stance only about 15 percent of the time, according to his estimate. On Friday, he got a heavy dose of work in a three-point stance, but the plan is to make him a receiving tight end, complementing incumbent Jeff Cumberland.

Amaro suspects he will be used in an "Aaron Hernandez role," a reference to the New England Patriots' former tight end. Preparing for his final season at Texas Tech, Amaro said he studied "hours and hours" of tape of Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham, trying to incorporate their techniques in his game.

For now, Amaro wants to simply earn the respect of his new teammates. Beyond that, he's thinking big.

"Ultimately, for me, the goal is to be the best player and win Rookie of the Year, be the best offensive player," he said. "If you don't have that mindset, you're not in it for the right reasons."

Amaro felt he should've been a first-round pick. Two tight ends were drafted ahead of him, Eric Ebron and Austin Seferian-Jenkins -- and that chafes him as well.

"It adds the same chip on my shoulder I had when I went from high school to college," he said. "To me, that's big. I'm holding it in -- I'm not really expressing about it -- but I think eventually people are going to realize it."

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This guy has been saying all the right things. He sounds super competitive. Lets just hope he gets close to where he wants, and doesn't turn into a Maybin like disappointment.

I don't know. I'm reading more like he has his personal goals ahead of his team goals. I'd rather he talk about championships than ROY awards or 100 catches. He's gonna need to be a team player on a run-first team with a couple questionable QBs throwing the ball. Is he gonna pout when a lack of opportunities leaves him completely out of the ROY conversation? The Jets top receiver caught 43 passes last year.

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I don't know. I'm reading more like he has his personal goals ahead of his team goals. I'd rather he talk about championships than ROY awards or 100 catches. He's gonna need to be a team player on a run-first team with a couple questionable QBs throwing the ball. Is he gonna pout when a lack of opportunities leaves him completely out of the ROY conversation? The Jets top receiver caught 43 passes last year.

That was my original take on it, too. On the other hand, maybe he knows he has to make huge individual contributions on the field for the team to succeed. It's not like they burned a 2nd for him to block and be a decoy. Hopefully he doesn't go full blown Shockey.

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I don't know. I'm reading more like he has his personal goals ahead of his team goals. I'd rather he talk about championships than ROY awards or 100 catches. He's gonna need to be a team player on a run-first team with a couple questionable QBs throwing the ball. Is he gonna pout when a lack of opportunities leaves him completely out of the ROY conversation? The Jets top receiver caught 43 passes last year.

Interesting take. I didn't see that initially but I think you may be right. It's something to keep an eye on with him to see if he is a complainer and a new "source" for Mehta or a team guy who puts personal goals aside for the betterment of the team.

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I don't know. I'm reading more like he has his personal goals ahead of his team goals. I'd rather he talk about championships than ROY awards or 100 catches. He's gonna need to be a team player on a run-first team with a couple questionable QBs throwing the ball. Is he gonna pout when a lack of opportunities leaves him completely out of the ROY conversation? The Jets top receiver caught 43 passes last year.

That sounds more like the reason we drafted him rather than a year to year goal. No?

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I don't know. I'm reading more like he has his personal goals ahead of his team goals. I'd rather he talk about championships than ROY awards or 100 catches. He's gonna need to be a team player on a run-first team with a couple questionable QBs throwing the ball. Is he gonna pout when a lack of opportunities leaves him completely out of the ROY conversation? The Jets top receiver caught 43 passes last year.

you would need the entire interview to have the context, and all these guys have incentive clauses that are individual and not team based

there might be 3 guys an any given team that are truly team first guys. with millions on the line they all want thier numbers

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I don't know. I'm reading more like he has his personal goals ahead of his team goals. I'd rather he talk about championships than ROY awards or 100 catches. He's gonna need to be a team player on a run-first team with a couple questionable QBs throwing the ball. Is he gonna pout when a lack of opportunities leaves him completely out of the ROY conversation? The Jets top receiver caught 43 passes last year.

this

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I don't know. I'm reading more like he has his personal goals ahead of his team goals. I'd rather he talk about championships than ROY awards or 100 catches. He's gonna need to be a team player on a run-first team with a couple questionable QBs throwing the ball. Is he gonna pout when a lack of opportunities leaves him completely out of the ROY conversation? The Jets top receiver caught 43 passes last year.

yeah but the Jets really had no one to speak of at the WR or TE position for 3 years now weve added Decker and Amaro and whatever comes of the rest of the WR's taken in the draft.

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It's not like I think he's a bad kid or anything. I'm sure he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder going from being discussed as possibly going before Ebron to being the third TE taken in the draft. Having something to prove can be a good thing. But with CJ and Ivory, this is going to be a run first team. He's gonna have to be a willing and capable blocker. And he's gonna be sharing the receiving load with last year's team leader in that regard, the top WR in free agency, the TE the team resigned before they drafted him, and a lot of expected dump offs to Johnson. Not to mention the other 97 WRs in camp. If he catches 40 passes as a rookie in this offense, I'd consider that a very successful first year - but it won't get him into any ROY conversations.